Hearing Shen Yanxin’s words, Si Yunqin smiled. “The starry sky is beautiful, isn’t it?”
Shen Yanxin sat down beside her and joined her in looking up at the stars. “The starry sky over Mobei is even more vast and far-reaching.”
“Has the Empress Dowager also become homesick?” Si Yunqin felt increasingly less afraid in front of Shen Yanxin nowadays.
Shen Yanxin nodded slightly. “I used to miss home very much when I first entered the palace.”
“And now you don’t?” Si Yunqin pressed.
“Not as much time for it. There are too many things to think about.” Shen Yanxin pursed her lips.
Si Yunqin leaned back and lay down on the grass. “True. Busy person.”
“If I weren’t busy, the Empress wouldn’t have this much free time,” Shen Yanxin teased.
Si Yunqin found that reasonable. “The Empress Dowager is wise. With such capable governance, we get to be idle.”
“Alright, stop with the flattery. The troops will return victorious in ten days, and my idle days are numbered. After that, settling the surrendered Southern Yue army and the Southern Yue royal family will be a problem.”
“Good luck.” The corner of Si Yunqin’s mouth lifted, a hint of Schadenfreude in her expression.
Shen Yanxin wasn’t about to let her off so easily. “I think the task of settling the royal women should be well within the Empress’s capabilities.”
“You’re just setting me up,” Si Yunqin said discontentedly.
Shen Yanxin reached out and ruffled her hair. “No respect for rank. The Empress is becoming more and more informal.”
Si Yunqin took her hand away. “Don’t touch it so much. I’m still young and growing. Too much patting will stunt my growth.”
“The Empress Dowager indulged me herself, so you can’t blame me.” If Shen Yanxin hadn’t allowed it, she wouldn’t dare be so bold. Although she wasn’t sure why Shen Yanxin was so lenient with her, Si Yunqin certainly wasn’t going to hold back.
“Is the Empress acting spoiled because of favor?” Shen Yanxin asked with a hint of mockery.
“Yeah, I guess so?” Si Yunqin stared at the sky. “When someone dotes on you, you enjoy it. If one day the Empress Dowager no longer treats me as a friend and only as a ruler and subject, that’s only proper. I’ve always been someone who goes with the flow.”
Shen Yanxin lay down beside her as well. “That’s a pretty good attitude to have.”
“With a bad attitude, you can’t survive.” This world was far too different from the one in her memories.
“True.”
“What did the Empress Dowager want to do before entering the palace?” Si Yunqin suddenly became curious about who Shen Yanxin was before she became the Empress Dowager of Great Zhao.
“To be someone like General Gu Dongliu. To guard the borders with a spear, galloping across Mobei.”
“That sounds free and easy.” Si Yunqin thought such a life wouldn’t be bad.
“And now? Have you changed your ambition?” Si Yunqin turned on her side to look at Shen Yanxin’s beautiful face. She had never imagined that one day she would be able to have such a calm heart-to-heart with Shen Yanxin.
“Now? I suppose not really. It’s all the same—hoping for peace and stability under heaven.” Shen Yanxin felt that what she was doing now wasn’t at all contradictory to what she had sought in her youth.
“The Empress Dowager is truly the Empress Dowager.” Si Yunqin teased.
Shen Yanxin reached out and pinched her nose. “Since the Empress has agreed to assist me, you can’t go back on your word.”
Si Yunqin lay back down again. “I just remembered another request.”
“What?”
“I, Si Yunqin, am willing to be Shen Yanxin’s right hand, to help her ascend the throne, and to give humble families and women a chance to rise. But I hope to do this as Si Yunqin, not as the Empress of Zhao Kingdom.”
“You want to leave the palace?” Shen Yanxin’s tone turned somewhat cold.
Si Yunqin nodded. “If possible, could the Empress Dowager let me and Consort Yu leave the palace? After all, the identity of a palace consort is different from that of a court official.”
Shen Yanxin was silent for a long time, then stood up. “Not for now. The time isn’t right.”
Watching her walk away, Si Yunqin suddenly realized something. Shen Yanxin seemed reluctant. Why?
She thought her proposal was quite good, after all, it was indeed inconvenient for palace consorts to meddle in state affairs. Once Shen Yanxin decided to establish female officials in the court, she and Xi Fengyu could be the ones to lead the charge.
She could fake her death or something, right? It wasn’t necessary to leave as Si Yunqin.
Shen Yanxin naturally understood that what Si Yunqin said made sense. But thinking about how the palace would become cold and desolate once she left, Shen Yanxin found herself somewhat displeased.
Si Yunqin was completely baffled by her sudden coldness.
But she didn’t dwell on it. She yawned and went back to sleep.
The next day, the group returned to the palace, and Shen Yanxin began to delegate tasks to Si Yunqin.
The most urgent matters were the victory banquet and how to settle the women of the Southern Yue royal family.
Si Yunqin was busy these days as well. Xi Fengyu was also forced to offer her advice.
“To be honest, I’m really not good at this kind of thing. Asking me to survey the terrain would be easier,” Xi Fengyu said helplessly.
“No way. Even if you’re not good at it, you can at least give some ideas. You can’t abandon me.” Si Yunqin looked pitiful.
Not only that, she also left the palace to find Zhu Jing’an, and in the palace, she pestered Grand Consort Yuande.
It was only the day before the army returned to the city that she finally presented Shen Yanxin with a sound plan.
The women of Southern Yue were to be settled in a separate residence within the Imperial City.
“Of course, we can’t support them for free. Personally, I think we should open a shop outside the palace. The shop can sell their embroidery and spices, letting them earn their own living. Oh, and the shop doesn’t just sell things made by the Southern Yue women. Things made by the palace consorts can also be sold. Just a trial run. As for the person in charge of operations, I think Sister Consort Chen is suitable. This way, it gives the consorts something to do, and if it runs well, it can even generate some income for the harem.” Si Yunqin laid out her initial idea.
After listening, Shen Yanxin nodded. Si Yunqin had even drafted a preliminary plan, which included personnel assignments, noting who was skilled at what and distributing tasks clearly.
“The Empress seems to know the palace consorts quite well.”
“We play mahjong together every day, so it’s not surprising.” Si Yunqin admitted openly.
After reading it, Shen Yanxin let out a light laugh. “It’s worth a try. Go ahead and do it yourself, Empress.”
“Understood.” With permission granted, Si Yunqin happily went back to tell the palace consorts.
Of course, the specifics still needed to be refined, and there was no guarantee of success. But Si Yunqin thought it was worth a shot.
She entrusted her elder brother with finding a shop in the city. Also, she asked him to bid on Yiyi at the Fragrant Pavilion’s autumn auction. Afterwards, she arranged for Yiyi to work in the clothing shop funded by public money, assisting Consort Chen in managing it.
On the day of the army’s triumphant return, Shen Yanxin led all the civil and military officials to welcome them. The Young Emperor was also brought along, dressed in a heavy dragon robe.
Si Yunqin went along as well. Shen Yanxin and the Young Emperor stood at the front, with Si Yunqin half a step behind Shen Yanxin.
The Southern Expedition army entered the city in a grand spectacle. The Grand General was at the very front of the army. As for Si Yunqin’s elder brother, he was not easily spotted among the crowd, since even if he had made some contributions, he wasn’t prominent enough to be at the forefront.
The civil and military officials lined both sides to welcome them. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor personally came to greet them—this was already an immense honor.
The common people were also lively and excited, giving the kingdom an air of a great power.
Shen Yanxin helped the kneeling Grand General to his feet, spoke a few words of encouragement to the soldiers, and then the procession returned to the palace in a grand manner. The people threw flowers to welcome them.
With the destruction of Southern Yue, it served as a warning to the Southern Kingdoms. The dignity of Great Zhao was not to be violated.
Si Yunqin felt that Shen Yanxin had the ambition to unify the world.
Back at court, the routine rewards and appointments were made, along with the decision on how to handle the King of Southern Yue. Considering he had surrendered and handed over the city, Shen Yanxin didn’t execute the royal family of Southern Yue. However, they were never to return to their homeland. They would be confined to this Imperial City. If they had no ambition, they could live out their lives as idle nobles. If they were still ambitious, things would be different.
In the evening, a banquet was held to celebrate with the whole world. This banquet was far more grand than the previous Feast of a Hundred Officials.
It was entirely handled by the Ministry of Rites. Not only the civil and military officials, but the people of Heavenly Light City were also celebrating.
The triumphant return of the army plus the Emperor’s birthday—it was a double joy.
During the banquet, wine flowed like a winding stream, and elegant sleeve dances were performed. It was a lively affair.
Si Yunqin was in charge of hosting all the women. She felt no pressure, just chatting with the ladies she knew.
Zhu Jing’an was also present. Ever since Si Yunqin recommended her to the Grand Tutor, Zhu Jing’an had been helping at the Examination Hall. Minister Zhu had always doted on his daughter, but past conflicts over differing views had created a rift. When the Minister’s wife brought Zhu Jing’an, he turned a blind eye.
Xi Fengyu, Yuwen Qiyue, Consort Chen, Zhu Jing’an, and others sat together, chatting and laughing freely.
Si Yunqin sat in the main seat. Occasionally, someone would come to toast her. The women initially only talked about trivial matters. After drinking some wine, Si Yunqin inexplicably started a session of verse matching and riddles.
Suddenly, Si Yunqin felt surrounded by many talented women.
Shen Yanxin wasn’t with the women, so everyone was quite at ease.
After the banquet, the Empress Dowager was to lead the Emperor and Empress to the riverbank to pray for the people’s blessings.
Si Yunqin was a little tipsy when she was called over. The Young Emperor, as usual, was delighted to see her and ran over to take her hand.
“Be good.” Si Yunqin pinched the Young Emperor’s cheek and smiled slightly.
Shen Yanxin looked at her state and was genuinely worried that neither the big one nor the little one could walk steadily.
So, she walked over to Si Yunqin and slightly raised her hand.
Si Yunqin’s mind was slow for a moment before she reacted, then she reached up and gently took Shen Yanxin’s arm.
With one hand holding the Young Emperor and the other supporting Shen Yanxin, Si Yunqin felt quite busy.
Surrounded by courtiers, they arrived at the riverbank. Then came the releasing of lanterns and the prayers. The Young Emperor found it novel. Si Yunqin, having had some wine, talked more. When she saw the Young Emperor clumsily fumbling, she couldn’t bear to watch and knelt down to help. Shen Yanxin glanced over, confirmed that Si Yunqin wasn’t about to fall into the river, and then ignored them.
After the lanterns were released, brilliant fireworks shot into the sky. Si Yunqin looked up at the sky and murmured, “Beautiful.”
The light of the fireworks fell on her face. The Young Emperor also looked up and, by chance, took Shen Yanxin’s right hand.
During the prayer, the Young Emperor ran between the two of them. Xi Fengyu, watching from the crowd, looked at the three standing ahead and inexplicably recalled Si Yunqin’s usual idle chatter about a “family of three.”
Yuwen Qiyue watched the fireworks filling the sky and the cheering crowds on both sides of the river. She remembered that when her father was on the throne, he was always full of worry, and she had never been brought out to see such a grand sight.
Since Shen Yanxin came to power, her life had improved, and Luo’er had grown up.
